Lesson Title: Salvation: Spiritual Or Practical?
GCSE Religious Studies (from 2016)Christian Aid: theology and ethicsLesson ideas from RE TodayLesson title:Salvation: spiritualor practical?We believe in lifebefore death
Teaching notesThis lesson explores a central belief ofChristianity: that humans are sinful andthat they can be ‘saved’. It looks at differentChristian teachings about salvation:through faith (Paul) and through deeds/action (James). It teaches that Jesuscalled for radical change, and examinessome Bible passages where that iscommunicated, before explaining howChristian Aid puts faith into actionthrough its work on climate change andgender justice.closest to the teaching of Jesus? Why? i nvestigating liberation theologies from LatinAmerica. Fresh visions of the meaning of Jesus’teaching for the whole of life were developed inthe late 20th century by applying the Bible’s antipoverty messages to politics drawing attention to Christian beliefs andteachings about salvation in both the Bibleand contemporary churches. Do Christiancommunities in the UK need to give equal priorityto salvation for this life and for the next life,salvation from poverty and injustice as well as for‘heaven above’?Flexibilities:Good learning: what’s working well here?The learning ideas in this lesson can be used as theyare written, but are flexible. You might like to try: I t is based in the GCSE syllabus’s requirement toteach the concept of salvation referring to differentinterpretations. It links dynamic learning in the classroom to ‘realworld’ examples. It challenges students to think for themselvesabout the meanings of biblical texts. s etting the extended writing task at the endfor high achievers, in which they consider theproposition: ‘A Christian should be activelychanging the world’ reading a short biography of a radical Christian withsocial commitments and comparing it with the lifestory of an evangelist. Which kind of Christian life isText and BeliefsImpactConnectionsThis work enables students tostudy some biblical texts aboutsalvation and consider what theymean and how they should beinterpreted.Students examine the ways thesebiblical and spiritual ideas makea difference in the practice of thecharity Christian Aid, linking to awider understanding of the kindof ‘Saviour’ Jesus was, and thekind of salvation he offered toChristians.Students are challenged toconsider their own opinions: isreligion about belief, or aboutgoodness, doctrines, or ethicsinstead? Or are these elementsindivisible?Learning outcomes:EmergingExpectedExceeding define salvation give an example of howChristian Aid works to put faithinto action. explain the concept of salvationin Christianity define praxis outline practical ways ChristianAid supports those in need outline theological justificationsfor Christian Aid’s work offer a view as to how radicalChristian Aid’s work is. offer a view as to how farChristian Aid thinks ‘salvation’might be achieved throughpractical action or spiritualreunion with God.GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?2
Teaching notesTeaching notes1: Salvationa) Teach that Christians (mostly) accept twopremises about life: i) humans are in a state of sin,and ii) there is such a thing as salvation from sin. Askpupils what they think ‘salvation from sin’ means.Explain that, in basic terms, Christian ‘salvation’means that you can escape your sins and go toheaven – and therefore escape death (Matthew19:16-25).Read Genesis 3 as a class. What are the four mostsignificant events in the story? Identify and presentthem in a four-square storyboard, with a title.b) Watch The Secret Life of Children on temptation:http://bit.ly/2d8EjeT and the importance of lying:http://bit.ly/2dZuQqODo students think they are in a sinful state, or arejust being human? Are there evolutionary benefits tobeing able to lie, cheat and steal?c) Watch St. Augustine’s concept of Original Sin:http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p011lqgjThis BBC clip explains Augustine’s 4th centurydoctrine of Original Sin, which is where the idea ofhumanity being in a sinful state developed.d) How do Christians believe humans can escape thissinful state: through what they believe or throughwhat they do? Read the passages on page 6 wheretwo of Jesus’ followers, Paul and James, explorewhat his teachings mean. Split the class into two.Ask half the class to underline all references to faithand salvation in the excerpts from Paul’s letters. Ingroups they should prepare an explanation as towhy Paul believes that faith is the key element ofsalvation. Use these questions to guide them:i) who can be saved, as long as they have faith?ii) why do humans need to be saved?iii) what does Paul mean by ‘grace’?Ask the other half of the class to underline allreferences to actions in the excerpts from James:which actions, good and bad, does he mention? Askthese groups to prepare an explanation as to whyJames believes it is our actions which are important.Use these questions:i) what actions are forbidden by the law?iii) why is it our actions towards others that showwe are good people, rather than our beliefs?e) Ask each group to present their arguments.Discuss as a class whether they agree more withPaul or with James. Can someone’s character bebetter judged by their beliefs or by their actions?f) Revisit the statements in point a) – i) humansare in a state of sin; ii) there can be salvation fromsin – and ask the class to complete this sentence: toescape sin, Christians believe that humans must .2: Salvation: spiritual or political?a) Show Christian Aid’s video ‘Till and Keep’ tointroduce the class to the issues of climate changeand Christian responses to this global issue. Youcould also show Christian Aid’s video on theirclimate change work across the world, athttp://bit.ly/2v8BANcAsk students to summarise in a sentence whyChristian Aid works on climate change, based onwhat they have watched. Then ask students to readthe more detailed information about Christian Aid’swork on climate change on the information sheeton page 7. Ask the class to summarise in a sentencewhy Christian Aid works on climate change.b) Ask students to consider, alone or in pairs,the statements on the theological responses toclimate change information sheet on page 8. Askthem to discuss their responses to the theologians’statements: what do these mean to them in thiscontext? Pick groups to share back with the class.You could also ask them to summarise each of thetheologian’s points.c) Teach that Jesus offered both spiritual andpolitical change; he offered a new relationship withGod but also called for Earth-based changes. Youmight want to help your students to understand theconcept of radical political change through somemodern-day examples.d) Draw a version of the graph on page 10 onthe board. Hand out the Jesus: radical or not?information sheet on page 9 and ask students toparaphrase each point. Then ask students to placethe information where they think it fits onto thegraph on the board, and ask them to explain theirchoice. Encourage them to debate and to sharetheir responses. Steer the group to consider howradical Jesus’ offers of Earthly change and spiritualsalvation might be.ii) what actions are encouraged by the law?GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?3
Teaching notese) Ask students to look at the Christian Aid website,christianaid.org.uk, and find any examples of thecharity’s work that might be considered spirituallyradical or politically radical. Add spiritually radicaland politically radical work Christian Aid is engagedin to the graph on the board. Discuss how farChristian Aid works within the vision of radicalchange which Jesus offers. Discuss the distinctionbetween on the one hand ‘salvation’ being achievedon Earth through practical change, and on the other‘salvation’ being achieved in spiritual terms througha mended relationship with God.3: Praxis: salvation by actionsa) Recap James’ view that salvation is to beachieved through actions. Explain that ‘praxis’means practice and actions, as opposed to theoryand belief. This can be helpfully explained throughthe phrase: ‘practice what you preach’. What actionsare mentioned in the excerpts from James’ letter?List them on the board. Do the class think that forChristians, actions are essential to earn salvation?Are they as important as faith in God?b) Read Matthew 25:31-46, known as ‘the sheepand the goats’. What actions does Jesus mention?Add them to the list. What does Jesus mean bysaying ‘whatever you did for one of the least of thesebrothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’? Returnto your discussion on James: what does Jesusseem to be saying in Matthew’s Gospel about theimportance of action?c) Using the passages from James on action, thestory of the sheep and the goats, and the passagesfrom Paul about faith, ask groups to complete thetable to answer the exam-style question on page 11:‘A Christian should be actively trying to change theworld.’ Discuss.GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?4
Teaching notesSupporting the Christianity paperThis page summarises the ways in which this lesson contributes tomeeting the requirements of the GCSE Christianity papers.In the specificationsAQAJesus Christ and salvationBeliefs and teachings about: the incarnation and Jesus as the Son of God the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension sin, including original sin the means of salvation, including law, grace andSpirit the role of Christ in salvation including the ideaof atonement.EdexcelThe nature and significance of salvation and therole of Christ within salvation: law, sin, grace andSpirit, the role of Christ in salvation, including John3:10–21 and Acts 4:8–12; the nature and significanceof atonement within Christianity and its linkto salvation.EduqasBeliefs: Salvation Law: Word of God; inspiration and revelation;differing ways of interpreting biblical writings; Biblein relation to other sources of authority Sin as preventing salvation. Grace and the Spirit: Acts 2:1-6. The role of HolySpirit in Evangelical worship.GlossarySalvation is the act of being saved. There aredifferent interpretations of what this means forChristians, and this lesson plan explores these. Formany, salvation specifically means the act of beingsaved from death. This is because Christians believein an afterlife which is made possible by Jesus, whosacrificed his life and ‘paid’ for their sins when hewas crucified. For others, it might mean a morespiritual salvation from sin, by living a good life andfollowing Jesus’ example.Praxis means practice and actions, as opposed tomerely theory and belief.Pacifism means being against war and violence, aswell as promoting peace and non-violence.Humility is the quality of being humble. ForChristians, this can mean recognising one’srelationship to God and understanding the limits ofone’s power.OCRBeliefs: concept of salvationThe meaning of the following terms: Salvation: restoring the relationship betweenGod and mankind. Atonement – God in Christ reconciles the worldto himself. Law – its function to identify sin by laying downcommandments. Sin – Pauline views, all have sinned and fallenshort of the mark. Grace – God’s redemptive love to save sinners. Spirit – The Holy Spirit. The role of Christ in salvation: the sacrifice ofChrist – paying the ransom to God for the sins ofthe world. Issues related to salvation: the belief inforgiveness and repentance for all. The nature of atonement for Christians. Common and divergent Christian beliefs aboutthe need for salvation. Common and divergent Christian beliefs aboutthe role of Jesus Christ in salvation. Different interpretations and emphases givento sources of wisdom and authority by differentChristian denominations.Universal Basic Income is the idea of paying allcitizens in a country a regular sum of money,unrelated to their work, in the form of a benefit orsocial security.Repent means to feel or say sorry, for exampleabout wrongdoing or sin.In communion means the state of being joinedtogether with others.Prophetic can mean to ‘read the future’ or to ‘predictfuture events’. In this context, it means to articulatewhat the prophets in the Bible said and to carry thatforward in the present day.Injustice means unfairness.Divest means to stop investing money insomething.GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?5
Student sheetBible study sheet: Salvation through faith or actions?Through faith (based on Paul’s ideas)Romans 1:16-17.it is the power of God for salvation to everyonewho has faith, to the Jew first and also to theGreek. For in it the righteousness of God isrevealed through faith for faith; as it is written,‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’Romans 3:21-26 the righteousness of God has been disclosed,and is attested by the law and the prophets,the righteousness of God through faith inJesus Christ for all who believe. For there isno distinction, since all have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God; they are now justifiedby his grace as a gift, through the redemptionthat is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forwardas a sacrifice of atonement by his blood,effective through faith. He did this to show hisrighteousness, because in his divine forbearancehe had passed over the sins previouslycommitted; it was to prove at the present timethat he himself is righteous and that he justifiesthe one who has faith in Jesus.Ephesians 2:8-10For by grace you have been saved through faith,and this is not your own doing; it is the gift ofGod— not the result of works, so that no onemay boast. For we are what he has made us,created in Christ Jesus for good works, whichGod prepared beforehand to be our way of life.Through action (based on James’ ideas)James 2:8-11You do well if you really fulfill the royal lawaccording to the scripture, ‘You shall love yourneighbor as yourself.’ But if you show partiality,you commit sin and are convicted by the law astransgressors. For whoever keeps the whole lawbut fails in one point has become accountablefor all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shallnot commit adultery,’ also said, ‘You shall notmurder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery butif you murder, you have become a transgressorof the law.James 2:14-17What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if if yousay you have faith but do not have works? Canfaith save you? If a brother or sister is naked andlacks daily food, and one of you says to them,‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ andyet you do not supply their bodily needs, whatis the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has noworks, is dead.James 2:24You see that a person is justified by works andnot by faith alone.GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?6
Student sheetInformation sheet: Christian Aid’s work on climate changeHuman actions have caused climate change:burning fossil fuels has caused pollution and raisedlevels of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere,which has changed the climate and damaged theenvironment. Christian Aid believes this means wehave failed to look after God’s creation.We have failed the poor. Most of those affected byclimate change live in poorer countries, but peoplein richer countries have caused the majority of thepollution. This means those who have done least tocause the problem are the worst affected. ChristianAid works with many such poor communities whosewhole way of life hangs in the balance because ofclimate change.Frank Zulu, a farmer in Malawi, knows firsthandhow devastating climate change can be. Whenhe was very young his grandfather taught him acalendar for planting crops, based on Malawi’sregular seasons. But because of climate change,the weather has become unpredictable and moreextreme, ruining his harvests. One year, whenthe maize he was growing failed in a drought, hisfour-year-old son became critically malnourished.Christian Aid’s partner helped Frank to growpigeon peas, a plant which grows well in harshconditions, giving him the opportunity to thrivedespite climate change.Catastrophic climate-related impacts (droughts,storms, sea level rise) are hitting communitiesacross the world, from Bangladesh to thePacific Islands, Ethiopia to South Sudan, Boliviato the Philippines.Frank knows firsthandhow devastating climatechange can be.Lidia Cuardado lives on the coast in El Salvador. In 2015,storms worse than ever before hit her house, sweeping awaymany of her belongings and leaving her ill. Many people inher community, including her sons, rely on fishing shrimpto survive. But the storms disrupted the ecosystem and aremaking it difficult to survive.Christian Aid’s partner is helping communities like Lidia’s tomobilise and protect their local area from climate change. Forexample, they rely on mangrove forests to stabilise the landagainst flooding and to maintain habitats for seafood. They’refighting against organisations that want to illegally chop downmangroves and use the land for their own profit. Christian Aidis giving them the support they need to defend their homes inan increasingly hostile climate.GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?7
Student sheetInformation sheet: Theological responses to climate changeChristian Aid seeks to underpin its work on climate change with theology. Christian Aidbelieves that: Humans, especially us in rich countries, are polluting the earth. We should repent of ourpolluting lifestyles. We should live in communion with nature and look after God’s creation We should address the injustice that sees poor communities suffering because of thegreedy habits of the rich and powerful. Christian Aid sees all of this as prophetic. Prophets speak truth to those in power, even ifthis truth is unpopular and people don’t want to hear it.Several theologians have thought about how Christians should respond to climate change.‘The universe and everything in it (including humans)belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). The Earth (as far as we know)is the most habitable planet.We humans are a tiny component of God’s creation, togetherwith many other living species. Despite the intelligencewith which humans are endowed, some of us treat the earthas personal property – as a source of resources to exploit atthe expense of those with little or no power to resist.’Professor Jesse N. K. Mugambi, Kenya‘The climate change crisis affecting life on our planet Earth,our home, is basically a spiritual crisis that will not besolved only through economic and political measures. Weneed a profound change in our hearts and in our minds.’Elias Abramides, ArgentinaWho can stop climate change? We can. We have aresponsibility to do so that began when God commandedthe earliest human inhabitants of the Garden of Eden to ‘tillit and keep it’. To keep it; not to abuse it, not to destroy it.’Archbishop Desmond TutuAs well as helping poor communities adapt to changing weather, as we’ve seen in Malawi andEl Salvador, Christian Aid and its supporters are raising their voices to stop climate change.They’re calling on governments to reduce carbon emissions, for example by runningpetitions and holding marches to make sure that politicians know that people care about theenvironment.They’re asking churches in the UK to switch to green energy with their campaign, The Big Shift.Churches are also putting pressure on the UK’s biggest highstreet banks to stop financing theextraction and burning of fossil fuels and to invest in renewable energy instead.GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?8
Student sheetInformation sheet: Jesus, radical or not?Open to allThere is no longer Jew or Greek, there is nolonger slave or free, there is no longer male andfemale; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.Galatians 3:28They do all their deeds to be seen by others; forthey make their phylacteries* broad and theirfringes long. They love to have the place of honor atbanquets and the best seats in the synagogues, andto be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to havepeople call them rabbi.Matthew 23:5-7PeaceBut I say to you, love your enemiesand pray for those who persecute you.Matthew 5:44Blessed are the peacemakers, forthey will be called children of God.Matthew 5:9Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who wereselling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tablesof the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called ahouse of prayer”; but you are making it a den of robbers.’Matthew 21:12-13*Small leather boxes containing Hebrew texts, worn by Jewish men atmorning prayer as a reminder to keep the law.HumilityLet the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.And being found in human form, he humbled himself and becameobedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.Therefore God also highly exalted himand gave him the namethat is above every name,so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:5-11ForgivenessThen Peter came and said tohim, ‘Lord, if another memberof the church sins against me,how often should I forgive? Asmany as seven times?’ Jesussaid to him, ‘Not seven times,but, I tell you, seventy-seventimes’.Matthew 18:21-22PovertyThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed meto proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captivesand recovery of sight for the blind,to let the oppressed go free,to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.Luke 4:18-19GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?9
Response sheet: Jesus, radical or not?Extremely radicalSpiritualPoliticalNot at all radicalGCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical?10
Student sheet‘ A Christian should be actively changing the world.’ Discuss.Argument that supports this statement:Argument that rejects this statement:Based on biblical passages:Based on biblical passages:My conclusion:Eng and Wales charity no. 1105851 Scot charity no. SC039150 Company no. 5171525 Christian Aid Ireland: NI charity no. NIC101631 Company no. NI059154 and ROI charity no. 20014162 Company no. 426928.The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid. Photos: Christian Aid J10968 September 201711
GCSE Religious Studies lesson plan: Salvation: spiritual or practical? 3 Teaching notes 1: Salvation a) Teach that Christians (mostly) accept two premises about life: i) humans are in a state of sin, and ii) there is such a thing as salvation from si
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The salvation which God places so much importance on is salvation from sin and its consequences. In order to understand adequately the doctrine of salvation, one must understand the Bible's revelation concerning man's sin and its deserved condemnation. This section of notes will briefly cover the following features of sin: 1) The definition of sin
Christ followers, we understand that we do not contribute anything to our salvation, but that God, through His abundant grace, saves us. He gifts salvation to us, and not only does He gift us salvation, He also gifts us everything necessary for our salvation (Romans 8:28 – 30). Some argue against this understanding. They contend that people
When the wall is depression, then salvation becomes the peace which surpasses all comprehension. When the wall is a struggle with sin, then salvation is purity in the sight of God. When the wall is loneliness, then salvation is fellowship. When the wall is poverty, then salvation is in daily bread. When the wall is illness, then salvation is .
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why train for spiritual warfare chapter 2 a working model of man. lesson two. chapter 3 the dynamics of spiritual warfare chapter 4 the front line in spiritual warfare. lesson three. chapter 5 problems at the front lines chapter 6 world views and spiritual warfare. lesson four. chapter 7 the three wo
Lesson 41 Day 1 - Draft LESSON 42 - DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH Lesson 42 Day 1 - Revise Lesson 42 Day 1 - Final Draft Lesson 42 - Extra Practice LESSON 43 - EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH Lesson 43 Day 1 - Brainstorm Lesson 43 Day 1 - Organize Lesson 43 Day 1 - Draft LESSON 44 - EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH Lesson 44 Day 1 - Revise
find on software development processes, which led me to Scrum and to Ken Schwaber’s early writings on it. In the years since my first Scrum proj ect, I have used Scrum on commercial products, software for internal use, consulting projects, projects with ISO 9001 requirements, and others. Each of these projects was unique, but what they had in common was urgency and criticality. Sc rum excels .
